Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
Mark 1:4 introduces John the Baptist by name: “John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.” Ritual washing had been employed in other religions; within the Jewish faith, a few practiced a form of self-immersion. However, John’s baptism was radical and unique. He immersed others as a sign of their “repentance” – that is, of their desire to turn away from sin and to God. This type of baptism was an entirely new concept, certainly appropriate in that a new covenant was coming (as promised in Jeremiah 31:27-40, especially verses 33-34). It is clear from Scripture that baptism does not save. For example, some of John’s disciples later came to a saving relationship with Jesus and were rebaptized (Acts 19:1-5). John’s baptism, then, like his entire ministry, was a preparation for the forgiveness (“the remission of sins”) that only Jesus offers.